Friday

Aug 30, 2019 at 6:00 PM

Delaware hunters will start the 2019-20 hunting season Sept. 1 with the opening of archery and crossbow deer seasons, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced.

Hunters can start adding mourning dove and resident Canada goose to their daily game bags Sept. 2 and teal Sept. 12 when the special September teal season opens. Gray squirrel season opens Sept. 14.

The following hunting seasons open in September, with season dates and hunting hours as listed:

Non-toxic shot — no lead — must be used for dove hunting on state wildlife areas during the month of September, and hunting hours might differ at specific dove fields on certain state wildlife areas.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife offers many early season hunting opportunities on state wildlife areas. Wildlife area maps and rules are available at bit.ly/2Ym4HHy. Additional information on September hunting opportunities at Division of Fish & Wildlife public wildlife areas is available at bit.ly/2zy7tyt.

A Delaware hunting license or License Exempt Number is required to hunt, and most waterfowl hunters require a Delaware waterfowl stamp. More information on hunting license and Delaware waterfowl stamp requirements is available at bit.ly/2zy7tyt. Teal, dove and goose hunters also need a Federal Harvest Information Program number. To register for a LEN number or HIP number, hunters can visit bit.ly/2zyYqgG or call 855-335-4868. For hunters age 16 and older, a federal migratory bird stamp is also required to hunt geese or teal.

Registered motor vehicles used to access designated wildlife areas owned or managed by the Division of Fish & Wildlife are required to display a Conservation Access Pass. Hunters can opt to receive one free annual CAP with the purchase of any Delaware hunting license. To obtain a CAP, hunters will need the registration card for the vehicle to which the pass will be assigned.

Delaware hunting licenses, Delaware waterfowl stamps, and Conservation Access Passes can be purchased at bit.ly/2H7eZ72, at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office at 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, or from hunting license agents statewide. Federal migratory bird stamps are available for purchase at U.S. Post Offices, Bombay Hook and Prime Hook national wildlife refuges, and at bit.ly/2zztJIg.

For more, visit eregulations.com/delaware/hunting. Hard copies of the hunting guide and newly-updated hunting maps are also available at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office. More information on hunting licenses, season details, and the Conservation Access Pass is also available by calling the Wildlife Section office at 739-9912.